Wade's Words of Wisdom

Dear Men of KONOS,

Two nights ago, all but my oldest son were at home for the entire night. I went downstairs to the kitchen to fix a hot cup of cappuccino and the thought struck me that I needed to call all of the fam down to join me. Since Jordan is 24 and lives with his older brother and Rhett (21) is a college student/ working man on the go, I have come to realize that family times are rare; I needed to capture the moment while I still had the chance.

I called all of my brood down for a family counsel. All complained, Jared (15) was writing a paper for class the next day, Rhett was studying for a final the next day, Jordan was preparing for the Friday Russia class he is teaching, and Jessica was boning up of HOW I – The Hebrew Feasts, for next day’s class. All had legitimate reasons to skip and yet, I was insistent.

One by one they descended from above where I had boiling water, cappuccino mix from Sam’s, tea bags and Carnation Cocoa mix available to choose from. Jessica came in first and mumbled, “I don’t have time to do this tonight!” “I replied, “No one does but we may not have too many more chances to create lasting family memories.” She agreed. All entered the kitchen with “What’s this about on their lips.” When asked what their choice for “Adult Beverage” was, they all wanted something fast so they could get this over with and return to their tight schedules.

Miraculously, the warmth of the beverage warmed the mood and soon we were all sitting around the kitchen bar area, laughing and reminiscing about old times. The urgency of preparing for exams, teaching and papers soon evaporated and a brief, but much-needed respite turned into an evening that will be cherished as a special night at the Hulcy household for years to come. Not that this particular night will be remembered, but the collection of family memories will assemble themselves when my sons will chuckle and tell their children, “I’ll never forget the wonderful times we used to have as we sat on tall stools in mom’s kitchen, drinking hot cappuccino and talking about the good ol’ days.”

Men, we love to think about the good ol’ days in our own pasts, don’t we? I encourage you to think creatively about creating memories that form the rich tapestry of life in a child’s memory files. These memories don’t need much fertilizer, they just need some variety to make the ordinary seem like it was extraordinary!

Remember, these memories are to be created often and through the entire year, not just at the holidays!

Wade Hulcy
President, KONOS, Inc.
wade@konos.com
972/924-2712

P.S. For whatever reason, I know some of you are wincing because your dad was not there or never created any positive memories in your past. I say to you, all the more reason to break the cycle of absenteeism in your family lineage and make your children’s memories of their pop become all the more special. The memories that perhaps you don’t have of your own childhood will thus be filled in with the memories of a loving dad. Just happens to be you!!